Urban Legend too
by Arches67
Summary: (1st (2nd version) story of the Urban Legend series - Crossover Daredevil - Person of Interest) Some "man in a suit" tells Matt Murdock he's in danger. What does he want exactly? Matt certainly knows how to defend himself.


A/N. Companion piece to "Urban Legend", this time from Matt's point of view.

When I wrote Urban Legend I wanted to write Matt's point of view too, but switching from him to John was confusing, so I kept it on the "Person of Interest" side. But, my brain wouldn't relent, so I decided to write it on the "Daredevil" side too.

You don't really need to read them in a particular order.

My warmest thanks to Zendog for the beta reading. As always, please remember English isn't my first language (still the title isn't a typo…), I apologize for any error.

Enjoy!

* * *

Matt Murdock's clock chimed, telling him the time. He extended his arm to stop the noise and remained on his back watching the ceiling, letting his sense sweep the space around him. Nothing like a good night's sleep. He hadn't needed to put on his suit last night and had had a full eight hours of sleep. That hadn't happened in a long time.

His senses seemed even sharper than usual, probably from the extra rest. Like a rain washing a dusty day. He'd need to be careful not to get overwhelmed, but it felt great.

He got ready for work and even stopped on the way to get some donuts for the office. He knew that would surprise Karen and Foggy, he didn't usually come with treats.

The morning went by studiously, each of them working on their own files. He couldn't really tell when it started but he was suddenly aware of a repetitive background noise. A camera shutter. Somebody was taking pictures, industriously. Tourists were common in New York, but they were usually scarce in this area. And the building certainly didn't account for that many shots. He dismissed the sound. Maybe it was a photography student trying his hand at battered buildings.

He had to be at the court house in the afternoon. That gave him time to have lunch with Foggy. His friend was still a bit sensitive about his "vigilante" duties. A good meal and friendly conversation could only help.

He had never really analyzed how he was aware of the things around him. They just "were" there.

That's how he knew there was some guy who seemed to be around them for a while. He had crossed their path as they got out of the offices, then had turned around and remained in the background. As he parted ways with Foggy after lunch, he noticed the man was now closer to him. Matt frowned a little but went on with his schedule. He had to be at the court house for a client.

* * *

Pleading the case was not an issue. He had prepared very carefully and knew they had the good elements. Judge and jury just needed some convincing, which from the feeling he had got from them had gone just fine.

The only thing bothering him was that the man was in the court room. Why would anyone follow him? A blind lawyer?

Leaving the building, he took the way toward Hell's Kitchen. The stranger got closer than he ever had before. He probably felt safer now that Foggy wasn't around and to risk spotting him.

"Finch. Is Murdock blind from birth?" the man asked.

So he wasn't paranoid. The man was following him and he knew his name. The question was a classic one. He paid more attention to hear the voice coming from the stranger's phone. Whoever the guy in the suit had called, his contact knew a lot about him. The part about the accident had made the news, but the rest of the information was more private, like the money his father left him, his childhood in the orphanage. And who gave him the right to enquire about his mother?

"Perfect self-made man. He was pretty impressive at the court house, and honestly I am also quite amazed by how easily he moves around people."

Matt had to smile. Well if he was impressed, let's see how he would react when he had him down on the ground. He turned in an alley he knew would be quiet, moved back behind a dumpster and pressed himself to the wall.

Matt never gave him a chance. As soon as the tall man stepped out of the shadow of the dumpster, Matt had him on the ground. His cane folded and lodged against the stranger's throat.

"What do you want?" Murdock asked in voice carrying a strength he knew people didn't assume he had.

He was surprised by the reaction. The man was good and freed himself of the grip in a second. He apparently needed some more convincing. Matt threw a punch against the face.

"Stop," his opponent barked. "I mean you no harm," he explained.

"Why are you following me?"

Murdock was still straddling him, a knee on his stomach and a fist raised ready to punch him again. The man on the ground moved his hands slowly.

"Let me explain," he said.

Matt didn't move for a few seconds, listening to the man's heart. He meant was he said. He'd give him the benefit of the doubt and listen.

"You better not make any sudden moves," he warned, moving away.

The stranger rose slowly and spat blood, before wiping his mouth.

"You've got a mean punch," he commented.

"And you're good at tailing people," Murdock admitted with a light smile.

"Not good enough apparently."

Murdock shrugged in apology.

"Mr. Murdock your life is in danger."

That was a good one. Matt raised his eyebrows in disbelief. What did this guy want?

"I have reliable information that clearly states you are being targeted."

"So what? You're some sort of body guard and you want me to hire you?"

"Body guard?"

"I've never seen anyone get out of the choke hold I had on you… So obviously you are trained in hand to hand combat. And you're in shape too…"

The lawyer could feel the man radiating surprise at been read so easily. In a typical gesture, he waved his hand in front of Matt's face.

He chuckled. "I don't need to see to feel your muscles under my knee."

A few seconds of silence let him guess that the man had probably nodded. "I've heard of course how the other senses develop when one is missing."

"You don't know the half of it," Matt whispered mostly to himself.

"Can we talk?" his follower asked. "In a more pleasant setting?"

The small street was littered with dumpsters and trash.

"Don't try anything."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

They left the alley and out of habit Matt put a hand on John's elbow.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Murdock asked at a loss.

"Why do you grab my elbow? You obviously don't need to."

He was good. He'd give him that. How long had he been spying on him? He remembered the camera shutter. He had probably been the one taking pictures earlier in the day. Telling him this wasn't a big deal.

"Force of habit; it makes people more comfortable. You can't imagine how awkward people feel around blind people."

"You clearly deal with it well."

"I had lots of years getting used to it."

Walking down the street, they entered a small park, the tall man stopped by a bench. This was nice, much better than the noises of an indoor place.

"No coffee shop?" he asked, wondering about the location.

"Fewer prying ears. And I thought this would be less noisy. I'm guessing your hearing is pretty good, you must get overwhelmed sometimes."

"Perceptive."

He was indeed. Even without taking into account his very particular senses, the man had noticed he was quite sensitive.

"How did you spot me?"

Obviously the man wasn't used to being seen and still hadn't gotten over it. Which spoke of surveillance... Maybe a past as a spy? Little by little, the pieces were gathering to form an accurate picture of... What was the guy's name anyway?

"A little bit too early for that kind of answer, Mister.…." His voice trailed off hoping he would finally introduce himself.

"John."

"Okay… _John_." Of course his name was John. He had just lost points for credibility. "Who wants me dead?"

"That would be the question."

"You're the one who told me my life was in danger…"

Who was this guy? He came to tell him he was in danger but didn't know where it came from? What was his point?

"It is. I don't know where the threat is coming from though."

"That's going to get tricky."

"Any cases that might have upset the wrong people?"

Where was he going with that kind of questions? Of course he got people upset, he was a lawyer. The other party was always "upset"… Maybe he should just get up and leave.

"There is always one disgruntled party when a case is tried…"

"Of course. What about Fisk? From what I gathered he has ample reason to hate you."

Matt froze for a second, then relaxed realizing John had no way of knowing of his second identity. Of course Fisk hated him, "both" of him actually even if the Kingpin didn't know about it.

"I merely represented the man who agreed to turn against him and expose his crimes."

"So I have heard. Still, Fisk isn't some small time gang thief. His connections run deep. I'm pretty sure some are still out there, looking to get revenge."

"Being a lawyer means stepping on lots of toes, John."

"Some are dangerous to step on."

"I am blind. I can't see the ones I step on…" A little levity usually went a long way.

John chuckled.

"So what's the deal? You're going to follow me 24/7?" Matt still didn't get where John was going with this. What was his point? What did he intend to do?

"I'd rather find out who's after you and stop him before he decides to act."

"You're not going to let this drop, are you?"

"No."

"I could knock you out and throw you in some dumpster." Apparently getting on the ground the first time hadn't been convincing enough.

"I have no doubts you can; still you won't have the element of surprise on your side next time."

"Didn't see it coming, did you?" Matt replied with a chuckle, glad John would at least admit that he had been surprised.

"You can say that again," John answered rubbing a hand over his face.

"So you'll be watching from my roof over the next few weeks? I'm going to feel compelled to bring you coffee."

John didn't answer.

"Let's say that I believe you. What do you want?" Murdock asked deciding to humor him.

"Make sure you stay alive."

"And how do you intend to do that? I think I've shown you that I can take care of myself."

"Still…"

So apparently John still hadn't registered that Matt didn't need anyone to protect him. A little lesson was in order. He usually didn't like to expose his skills in public, but there weren't that many people in the park. In a fluid motion he back flipped over the bench. Before John had even realized that he had moved, Matt had him in a choke hold that could be deadly should he chose to.

"Not. Funny." John said in a deadly voice.

Okay, he hadn't seen that coming and he was not happy.

"We'll need to discuss that surprise thing again," Murdock answered in an amused voice, totally unfazed by the tone.

John sighed. "You've made your point. Can you let me go? It's taking a lot of restraint not to react."

Murdock could feel the body vibrating under his grip. John was clearly fighting all his instincts not to fight back. It was obvious that he was trained in combat; he would be an interesting partner to go a few rounds with. He let him go and came back to sit by his side.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to upset you, I just needed to make you understand."

John moved his hand.

"I'm with Mr. Murdock. He has made it very clear he doesn't need physical assistance. You have any leads where the threat might be coming from?"

This close, Matt didn't have to focus to hear the voice from the mysterious partner over the phone.

"Not really. It would help if we could have access to Nelson & Murdock's files. Maybe identify possible enemies," Finch answered.

John turned to Matt.

"Hello Finch," Murdock said trying not to smile. John hadn't used his name; he had no way of knowing Matt had heard him before. "Who are you exactly? John's associate? Partner?"

"Mr. Reese?" said the worried voice on the phone.

"Mr. Murdock's hearing is excellent, Finch," John explained with a light smile.

"Apparently," Finch mumbled.

"Come by our offices, knock yourself out," Murdock offered.

John and his associate didn't seem that much of a threat. Warning people they were in danger was a weird endeavor. He still didn't get it. He'd let them around to satisfy his own curiosity. What was their goal? And if things turned bad he knew he could defend himself, even against John. Once he managed to relieve him of his gun; he'd need to remember that.

* * *

Foggy had given him a curious look when he had explained that John and Finch were there to help him with a file. It was clear he hadn't bought the lie, but he didn't comment. He still avoided some grey areas that involved his night activities. Explaining the truth in this case would prove even more complicated.

Finch was going over the files on the computer. He could tell the man thought he had secrets, hearing him moving restlessly, probably watching every corner of the room and any document he could get his hands on.

A while after Karen and Foggy's departure he had ordered some food. If they were going to work all night, at least they could do it on a full stomach. He heard John turning on the lights without saying a word. Matt was used to people feeling ill at ease around him, not knowing how to act.

He smelled the Chinese take-out before the delivery man knocked. John was immediately by the door with his gun drawn.

"Don't scare him, John. The dumplings in that place are the best," Murdock called from his desk.

He heard John handling the delivery boy a couple of bills and taking the bag, then lock the door behind him.

"If you know how to kill somebody with spring rolls I'd like to know," Murdock joked. His self-appointed savior needed to relax.

"I've seen weirder things used as weapons," John countered. "Thanks for ordering though."

Finch kept working while distractedly eating from the box Reese had put by his computer. Apparently John knew better than to interrupt his associate when he was that focused.

A while later Finch put down his chop sticks.

"What's the story on the Benton vs. Alter Inc. case?" he asked.

Murdock thought about it for a few seconds, trying to remember the file.

"Typical intellectual property case. Benton worked for Alter Inc.. He developed some high level compression/encryption program. I can't tell you much about it, IT is not my specialty. Issues appeared when Alter Inc. tried to register the patent. Benton claimed it was his own personal project, not one he had developed for the firm. We managed to prove he had indeed worked on that program on his personal time, not during office hours or with the company's equipment."

"Then how did the company even know about it?"

"Benton talked about it in confidence to some of his co-workers. Just a case of wrong ears close by. Someone from the company actually managed to crack Benton's personal computer and access part of the data."

"Can I borrow the file?" Finch asked. "I'd like to study this more thoroughly. Alter Inc. is on the NY exchange."

"The case is closed so I don't see why not."

"Thank you."

"Let's call it a night," John suggested.

"Can I go to my place alone, or are you going to want to keep watch?" Murdock asked with an annoyed wince.

They had gone over the files; they were leaving with some of them. Hopefully, they would feel they knew more about the threat now. He really wanted to spend the night alone without a watchdog. How would he leave his place if he was needed during the night? He was pretty sure John would spot him the second he put a foot out. Matt Murdock could live under watch. Daredevil found it much more complicated.

"Make sure you're not followed. Lock your place." He sighed when Matt opened his mouth to complain. "I know you can defend yourself. But be careful, please."

"I will. I'll even call you first thing in the morning. How does that sound?" Matt offered deciding to indulge his self-appointed caretaker.

* * *

The night had been relatively peaceful. Couple of thugs thought they could rob a woman and get away with it. It had been almost too easy. Well, maybe not that easy, one of the guys had managed to throw him against a wall and he now sported a nice bruise over his left eye. That one would be easy to justify if anyone asked. Bumping into stuff was bound to happen to a blind man after all.

Murdock texted John the following morning.

##Checking in as promised. Still alive##

 _Obviously…_

He smiled picturing John's face, and a second later his phone buzzed.

"Morning John," he greeted.

"We found who is targeting you," John told him, not bothering with greetings.

Matt froze. That wasn't the answer he was expecting. He knew people held grudges against his vigilante actions, but he didn't think he could be targeted as Murdock. How did these guys get their information? He had been almost sure this was some sort of a scam…

"Murdock?" John called when the silence trailed.

"I honestly thought it was some…" He stopped, not knowing what to say.

"I'm coming to your place."

"I was going to the boxing club; I usually do on Saturday mornings before it opens to the public. I could use a sparring partner."

"A work out sounds nice," John answered.

"Fogwell's Gym in Hell's Kitchen. Meet me there."

Matt had a happy smile. He had wanted to measure John from the beginning. He could tell that he had training; the way he had fought back the very first time was impressive. Meeting him on a ring was going to be exciting. He didn't get to meet that many good opponents for fun. Most of the time, he just practiced alone in the gym. Partners who would really fight against him were hard to find; they seemed to think the odds were not even.

* * *

When Murdock arrived at the gym John was already there. Standing still. Probably watching the old advertisement on the wall, his father's last game.

"I remember when they stuck that poster on the wall," Murdock said from the door. "I felt so proud…"

"How can you know where I'm standing?" John asked turning to him.

"Easy guess… You seem to know a lot about me."

"Ready to throw some punches?"

"No real blows?" Murdock suggested. He wanted this to be a work out, not a real fight, they didn't have anything to prove.

"Works for me."

Both men got ready. Matt was in tennis shoes and sweats but John hadn't planned for this. He removed his jacket and shirt to keep only his undershirt. He placed the gun in his coat's pocket.

"You always carry that thing?"

"You can smell the gun oil?" John asked in surprise.

"Pretty distinctive scent." Gun oil had a very specific smell, easy to identify.

They jumped on the ring and started moving. They threw some tentative punches, getting the feel of each other. Slowly the adrenaline rose and the game became less of a game as they moved more quickly and the blows fell harder.

John was a worthy opponent. He quickly seemed to "forget" Matt was blind, fighting him as with any other partner. He had good moves, quick reflexes. Some interesting techniques too. Not standard. Definitely military. As he had assumed, fighting him was a real pleasure.

He threw a punch and sent John to the ground.

"Oops, sorry," Murdock exclaimed. "Thought you were going to stop that."

"Got distracted."

What was he thinking about to be surprised like that? He was apparently quite mad at himself too. Matt extended his arm to help him get up. The door opened and he unconsciously started counting the heartbeats. _Six_?

"Six? Against a blind man? Isn't that overkill?" John shot before grabbing Murdock's arm and throwing them both out of the ring.

Matt hissed when a bullet ripped his arm. John's gun was out of reach, but there was training equipment by the ring. He opened the box knowing he would find useful tools. He handed John a couple of dumbbells. Turning to the opposite ends of the ring, the two men threw the dumbbells. Their correct aim was confirmed by the grunts and noise of guns falling to the ground.

Murdock jumped to the side of the room heading straight for the light switches. He turned them off. The old windows hadn't been washed in so long little light came through. He was pretty sure John would manage in the dark.

He heard the men separate in two groups. A somersault put him directly behind the last man. A strong punch to the man's kidneys brought him to the ground and with a swift kick he sent the gun flying underneath the boxing ring.

The one who had lost his weapon hadn't made it back to it yet, surprised by the sudden lack of light. A jump, a side flip and the man was flying to the ground, hitting his back against a pillar. Putting his hand to where he had heard the second gun slide, Matt threw it underneath the ring too.

He could hear the vicious fighting of John on the other side of the gym. He wasn't going down easily either. What danger had John talked about? Their combined gifts made sure no one could measure up to them. He briefly wondered if John had some kind of a suit too for his less daily activities.

The third man took aim but the shot never rang. Thanking the heavens for that small miracle, a couple of swift punches took the man down. Venting his anger, Matt's fists punched the face in a series of quick hits. The last one put the man out.

A hand touched his shoulder and he threw his legs behind him, holding on a hand on the floor, sending whoever had woken up again flying across the room.

"Matt!" John yelled as his back hit the floor and revealed the coppery smell of blood.

Murdock froze and turned in his direction, fists clenched tight by his side.

"Damn, how can you move like that?" John's voice was strained as he rose to his knees holding his ribs.

Matt winced and exhaled deeply. "Sorry."

"My fault, seeing the way you fight I forgot you couldn't see me."

"Too focused on the fight to realize it was you."

Matt didn't move as he heard John tying up the men. Coming back down after the action always took a toll. Almost hurting the very man who had helped him was rough too.

"How bad are you hurt?" John asked mistaking his posture for pain.

"I've had worse."

"Yeah… About that… I'm missing something here," John growled.

"We all have our secrets."

He could literally feel John's glare. This man had shown up from nowhere, told him he was in danger without giving any hints at how he knew and he had turned out to be a formidable combatant, Matt wasn't about to reveal anything about him before John was prepared to share too.

"I was thinking you had lost my number," said a gruff voice on the phone.

"You wish," John greeted back in a playful tone. "I've got a package for you. Nice bows and all…"

"I need to bring knee braces?"

"Nope. Not a single shot fired… by me."

"Guns…" Murdock winced wrapping an arm around his chest, "are under the ring."

He heard John's heart jump, belatedly realizing how close it had come and probably wondering how the guns had gotten there in the first place.

"Finch will send you everything you need and you'll find the perps' weapons underneath the boxing ring."

"How do you want me to get those?"

"Fusco, don't expect me to do it all. I'll send the address," he concluded as he finished the call.

"Police?" Murdock enquired.

"Detective. He's okay."

John touched his arm. Matt could feel the blood flowing from his knuckles, probably a real mess. He usually managed to protect his hands in a fight. He needed his fingers far too much to let that happen. This hadn't been expected. He was going to need to get creative again to explain Karen how his hands had gotten in that shape.

* * *

Matt had thrown an arm over John's shoulder, but he was pretty sure the man was also holding to him. They weren't that seriously injured, but battered enough that it hurt, a lot now that the adrenaline was gone. He heard John punching a code on what sounded like the keyboard of a vending machine and a door opened.

"Steps," John warned.

Murdock extended his hand to the wall with a wince and went down slowly.

"Taking me to the Batcave?" he couldn't help asking with a smile.

They made it down slowly. Finch gasped when he saw the two bloody men appear. Matt heard a dog sit up and whine.

"Stay," Finch ordered to the dog. John's partner stood still for a moment, then started, "Mr. Reese…"

"Looks worse than it is. If you could get us the emergency kit, though," John asked, apparently unfazed by his associate's obvious distress.

Matt stopped, listening to the sounds of the room. It was entirely covered in tiles, there seemed to be a huge gaping hole on each side of the platform they were on. A tunnel? He could hear the hum of generators and faint humidity traces in the air.

"Is this an old subway station?" he asked puzzled.

He could almost hear Finch's neck snap as he raised his head sharply; probably sending a worried look to John. His friend only chuckled lightly.

"Let's patch you up, then I think you and I need to talk."

"You need patching up too," Matt countered. "That gash on your back isn't going to fix itself."

He was sure John was watching him opened mouth. Let him wonder. But the smell of blood on his back was unmistakable. John helped him to a chair and moved items around on the table.

Matt hissed when John put his hand in the water.

"That's the reason I wear gloves," Murdock said with a wince.

"The way you punch… Did your father teach you boxing?"

No matter how long it had been, it always got to him. Thinking of his father inevitably brought a wave of sadness.

"No. He wanted a better future for me. He made sure I did my homework."

He let John take care of his bloody hands, bandaging them carefully. He then moved to the upper arm where the bullet had ripped his skin. That had hurt.

"It's only a graze. It won't even need stitches," John informed him while wrapping the arm with a clean bandage.

"Thank God for small mercies," Matt whispered. "I really don't like guns."

"Don't particularly like them myself. You just need to make sure you're on the right end…"

John gently wiped his face then stopped moving. Matt had removed his glasses before getting on the ring. He supposed John was watching his glassy eyes, and his face. The face that Foggy had sometimes called a babe magnet.

"When we first met, Foggy immediately offered to become my wingman. Said I'd get him access to girls he never had a chance with."

"How did that work?"

"Well… the whole 'blind defenseless law student' really worked on chicks…" Matt admitted with a smile. "We were so young…" He sighed, that time was so long ago.

"You are still so young…" John protested with a frown.

"Some things make you grow older faster than anyone should…"

He turned his head down; the dog had approached both men.

"Matt meet Bear."

Matt extended his hand toward the dog, looking for the paw he was sure he was raising to his attention.

"How do you do that?"

"You just need to listen and draw conclusions." He smiled when John's silence made it clear that he needed more explanation. "I heard him sit down and his paws scrape the floor. It was easy to guess he was raising one of them. He seems like a very well trained dog. What kind?"

"Belgian malinois."

"Like the ones used by the military, right?"

"Yes. Bear has actually been trained."

"I guess he comes in handy sometimes."

"Indeed," Finch confirmed. "Mr. Reese your injuries need to be attended to…"

Matt could _hear_ John rolling his eyes.

"Need help?" Murdock asked. Guessing at the incredulous look on the man's face, he added, "I used to patch up my father."

Finch disappeared from their proximity and soon the nice smell of fresh coffee drifted through the room.

A while later, both men were sitting on the couch, holding a steaming cup in their hands.

"So…" they both started at the same time and chuckled, then winced when their ribs protested.

"The way you fight…" John started not knowing what Murdock would be prepared to share.

"You're not bad yourself. Obviously military training." John didn't seem to react much to that. Murdock thought back to how he fought, then whispered, mostly to himself, "not just a soldier… More like Navy Seal, maybe even Delta Force…" He felt John twitch. "There's more to it…"

"Black ops…" He nodded. "CIA?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"How…?"

"Your heart just spiked. You're so used keeping that secret that hearing about it puts you on edge."

"You can hear my heart?"

Murdock just shrugged; he was so used to it that it just felt "normal".

"You could tell I wasn't lying when you knocked me down…" John murmured, musing in what it meant.

Matt heard Finch jumping in surprise upon hearing the words; he was probably sending him an evil look and wondering if he was to be trusted. He was definitely very protective of his friend.

"You mentioned my having enhanced senses because of the blindness. As far as I'm concerned, it is really more a case of heightened senses. I don't exactly know if they are the sole result of my blindness or of the chemical products, but I get a pretty clear picture of everything that goes on around me."

"How much do you 'feel'?" John asked, hesitating on the word to use.

"Everything. The voices, the breaths, the smells, the way sound rebounds or echoes against surfaces, how the air moves around objects…"

"You found out this is an old subway station…"

"The tiles on the walls. Very specific sound. No noise from the street and we went down stairs, lots of them. Then it's just a matter of how you connect the dots."

"The sensory overload… must have driven you crazy in the beginning. How did you learn to control it?"

"The first months were bad. I could hear everything that went on around me, I'd put my hands over my ears trying to stop it, but it didn't work that way. Then Stick came and helped me."

"Stick?"

"Blind, highly perceptive too. He taught me how to control it, how to fight. For a time…" A frown went through Murdock's face. "From there on, I taught myself…" He didn't know John enough to go down that road for now.

"Your moves are certainly one of a kind…"

"As you can guess, I do not spend much time in front of the TV or going to movies. Lots of time to train."

"What was that about wearing gloves?"

Matt smiled. Time for major secrets…

"Seeing where we are and the kind of equipment you have in this room I guess I can tell you."

"Equipment?" Finch asked in a slightly strained voice.

"All those computers running? What do you have? Your own surveillance system?"

For a second he thought Finch was going to pass out. He was certainly worried enough that his heart was all over the place.

"I know how to keep secrets, Finch. Don't worry." He shrugged. "You'll have to keep mine anyway."

"Matt?" John prodded.

"Remember the press when Fisk was brought down?"

"Yeah, all those corrupt cops and politicians…"

"The front page of the New York Bulletin?"

Matt heard Finch's fingers flying over the keyboard searching for the information. The chair rolled to the side as he moved to let John see the screen.

The silence stretched for a few minutes as both Finch and John mused over the information.

"You're _'Daredevil'_?" John finally asked in an awed voice.

"No. I'm Matthew Murdock. Daredevil is just a name some reporter came up with. What's yours? ' _The man in the suit_ '?" Matt joked, then opened his eyes wide. "Shit! That's you. I thought it was some kind of urban legend."

Holy cow! He had followed the search for the "man in the suit" in the news. He remembered there was a detective, a woman, hell bent on finding him. But then there had been word that he was dead. Some FBI agent gone rogue. Matt clearly wasn't the only one living in the shadows. If there was one person with whom he could share his secret and feel okay with it, John was it.

He sighed.

"I can't help hearing things. Hell's Kitchen has gone through a lot. If I can help prevent some of the bad stuff to happen…" He shrugged. "I can't go back now. I was given this gift for a reason. It's my duty to fulfil my destiny. I'm guessing we are similar on that aspect."

"You sound like a religious man, Matt. I, on the other hand, lost my soul a very long time ago."

"God will never give up on you. You can find salvation."

"Spoken as a true Catholic, how does that work out for you?"

"I've had more than my share of lattes with my priest…" Murdock admitted.

He turned toward Finch. "You're the computer genius. You find out who needs help, right?" he asked.

"Something like that," Finch conceded.

"Finch likes his privacy. I don't even know where he lives," John said with a light smile.

"Some secrets are too heavy to be carried alone. I almost lost my best friend when he found out what I do…"

"Mr. Nelson…"

"He resented that I kept what I could do from him. He felt cheated. It's hard to realize you thought you knew someone for so long only to learn that person was constantly lying to you."

"It's a dangerous path you've chosen Matt…"

"You sound like my priest. And I don't see you changing yours…"

"Touché," John answered with a grin. "Just take care. I'd hate to see your number come up again."

"Number?"

"That's what we call the people we try to help," Finch explained very quickly, too quickly for it to be true.

Matt rose with a light chuckle and extended his hand. "Thanks for your help."

"I'll see you out."

"It's okay, I'll find my way," he said walking with confidence toward the entrance of the station.

He could feel Finch and John watching him disappear through the door. He let his hearing trail behind him.

"He knew I was lying about the numbers..." Finch said clearly upset.

"Totally," John confirmed. "But I wouldn't worry, after all Daredevil and the Man in the Suit are only urban legends."

With a chuckle, Matt went up the stairs and outside the building to reach the street. Urban legends indeed…

* * *

The end

* * *

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